Certification Board
Jan Johnson founded the Pole Vault Safety Certification Board with a singular mission: to make pole vaulting safer through education, standardization, and certification. His vision created the program that has certified thousands of coaches and officials since 2003.
A 1972 Olympic pole vault bronze medalist, Jan served as the Pole Vault Safety Chair for USA Track & Field and Co-Chair of the ASTM Pole Vault Equipment and Facilities Task Force. He was a USATF Master Coach who spent over 30 years coaching men and women at the high school and college levels. He was also the founder and operator of the SkyJumpers pole vault training camps, where he mentored countless young athletes.
Jan's expertise in biomechanics (M.S., Southern Illinois University), combined with his competitive experience at the highest level, gave him a unique perspective on both the art and the science of pole vaulting. He understood that safety and performance go hand in hand — and he dedicated his career to proving it.
Jan passed away in 2024, but his legacy endures in every certification issued, every coach trained, and every athlete who vaults safely because of the standards he helped establish. PVSCB continues his work with the same commitment to excellence and safety that Jan embodied throughout his life.